What’s working and not working about how Colorado measures school performance?
I believe the current system in place to test school performance is failing. The testing system that we have in place has pitted students against students, teachers against teachers, schools against schools, and school districts against school districts. In my opinion, tests do not accurately show who a student is. They do not show how the teachers teach. It does not show how a school runs. It does not show how a school district spends money and or time. The bottom line, using a test to make decisions is a flawed and failing system.
What’s working and not working about how Colorado is responding to potential learning loss and achievement gaps caused by the pandemic?
Many school districts have learned and grown from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many school districts began online educational institutions and some school districts are in the works of expanding it to other grades. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for all schools. Many districts had to think on their feet and find what works and what didn’t. I think they succeeded exponentially in that way. Failures that came into place were deciding the success and failures of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a flawed education system that was being built at the moment.
Who should have the most say in educating Colorado’s youth: parents or teachers?
I believe both should have an equal voice at the table. Parents should be able to opt-out of certain programs being taught. I don’t believe parents should control every student’s education. Our teachers also deserve a voice at the table. We should not make anything harder on them by making them plan the entire year in one day. We must support our teachers in doing what they do best with students, teaching. We cannot place hard rules on them that make their job entirely harder and difficult because all that does is lead them to find work elsewhere.
Does the state Board of Education have a role to play in supporting schools struggling to meet students’ mental health needs?
The mental health crisis is a real issue and concern not only here in Colorado but across the United States. The State Board of Education needs to begin allocating more funding to mental health services and supporting our students. The fact that one high school counselor is expected to work with about 280 students, give or take 20 students, equally is a treacherous thing to ask of our counselors. Current allocated funding does not support anyone in the end. We need to support our students by supporting our staff and by expanding mental health services in school.
What’s working and not working about how Colorado measures school performance?
Colorado’s accountability system does a good job providing information to parents allowing them to evaluate the performance of any school in which they may wish to enroll their children. The system also identifies failing schools and directs additional resources to help improve student outcomes. Over 90% of schools identified as failing show significant improvements.
What’s working and not working about the way Colorado is responding to potential learning loss and achievement gaps caused by the pandemic?
School closures during the pandemic proved to be disastrous for Colorado students. A number of strategies are being deployed to return the performance of Colorado students to pre-pandemic levels including high-impact tutoring, longer school days, additional funding, and after-school programs. We will be able to assess the effectiveness of these and other strategies only after the results of student assessments conducted in April and May of 2023 are available.
Who should have the most say in educating Colorado’s youth: parents or teachers?
Parents
Does the state Board of Education have a role to play in supporting schools struggling to meet students’ mental health needs?
Unanswered
How candidate order was determined: A lot drawing was held at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 3 to determine the general election ballot order for major and minor party candidates. Colorado law (1-5-404, C.R.S.) requires that candidates are ordered on the ballot in three tiers: major party candidates followed by minor party candidates followed by unaffiliated candidates. Within each tier, the candidates are ordered by a lot drawing with the exception of the office of Governor and Lt. Governor, which are ordered by the last name of the gubernatorial candidate.
